In high schools across the country, students aim to get ahead and save money by earning college credits in high school. The two main ways to earn these credits in high school are taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses (created by the College Board), or dual enrollment courses in person or virtually at a nearby university. While both can be a way to receive college credit there are pros and cons to both AP and dual enrollment.

While the main purpose of both AP and dual enrollment is to receive college credit, another pro is the rigor they display to colleges. While every college loves straight A students with loads of extracurriculars, another factor they take into account in the admissions process is your high school course rigor. Colleges want to see their applicants challenge themselves, and advanced courses can help satisfy this criteria.  

One reason why dual enrollment courses are more beneficial than APs is students are more likely to receive college credits. In AP courses you must pass the final test to receive college credit. Furthermore, many universities only accept fours or fives. Some don’t take AP credits at all. In contrast, simply passing the class is the only requirement for receiving college credit for dual enrollment.

Another benefit of dual enrollment is the offer of courses that College Board simply doesn’t. For example, the highest level AP math class offered is AP Calculus BC, which is essentially college Calculus II & III. However once you have taken Calculus BC there is no other AP math class to continue progressing while in high school. However, there are dual enrollment classes that are more advanced, such as linear algebra and multivariable calculus. 

However, one benefit of AP classes that dual enrollment simply can’t offer is the fact that AP courses are standardized nationwide. AP courses are the same at every school and every state. Studying for AP courses is much easier as there are thousands of resources online that can be used to study, as opposed to more niche dual enrollment courses that vary from college to college.

AP courses and dual enrollment courses are both rigorous courses with their benefits. From a purely college credit standpoint, dual enrollment is better. However, if you find that eight high school classes is plenty, then AP courses may be the best choice for you.